How to memorize better?

[Bob]

Just cramming more information in my head.

How can I do this better?

Just fishing for more ideas.

[aewanko]

maybe you should sleep

[Bob]

I'll get right on that. 

[Etude]

Mnemonics.

Oh and craploads of repetition.

[Essyne]

I make up stupid stories that are *almost* completely irrelevant for just plain MEMORIZING stuff like equations/objective rules, etc (just like me - always have to make things harder. . .  ).

[Bob]

I don't really think there's a good "trick" to get around it.  You just have to study it well.

The problem with some mnemonic tricks is that they don't hold enough information after awhile and if you really need that stuff to stick, you need to get beyond the mnemonic anyway.

Hmm... I need lots of information, but pretty much temporarily.  I suppose mnemonics will work for that. 

And some mnemonics don't give you that instant quality if you need that.

[slobone]

If you're memorizing, say, a poem, my advice is not to test yourself too often. Spend most of your time reading it out loud. Work on the biggest chunk you can stand at a time.

[Bob]

Memorizing say... a paper.  That's what it is basically.


I suppose it's wise to break it into pieces and tackle each piece.  Being smart though and hopefully making those pieces useful to yourself.  Becomes if they don't come up as points during the right time, it becomes just wasted effort.

[slobone]

Memorizing say... a paper.  That's what it is basically.


I suppose it's wise to break it into pieces and tackle each piece.  Being smart though and hopefully making those pieces useful to yourself.  Becomes if they don't come up as points during the right time, it becomes just wasted effort.

Are you memorizing it so you can present it orally? I don't see the point of that. Let's get some specifics here...

[Bob]

Both.  Oral and written presentations. 

[Essyne]

Why not just get to KNOW the topic? What are your parameters? Memorizing word for word isn't going to work - you'll just get terribly frustrated w/ yourself and stumble when you don't remember each point in your presentation.

I practice. And practice. It used to be that I could get up in front of a crowd and sing + crack a pitch, dance + fall flat out of a turn, but had a horrible time public speaking until I just got up there and talked to my audience. Made things simple. Treated them like people.

Know the subject inside and out. Present it to an animal - if you have one - that's what I do (weird, crazy horse people  ). A picture, your piano, the emoticons . . . ( ). Just know what you're talking about and the words will come. Internalization is key.

[Bob]

No, no.  Not word for word of course.

I think I just need a way to link ideas together. 

The problem with some of those visualization memory tricks is when you get more information.  I run out of creative ideas to link images together. 

Probably not so important for tonight.  I'm kind of giving up now.